YOU AND I ARE JOINT HEIRS WITH JESUS CHRIST. JESUS said in John 16:15, “Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.”
Everything the Father has is yours through Jesus. His kingdom is one of righteousness, peace, and joy. Whatever is in right standing with Him will produce right thoughts, words, and actions, and this too is yours. Supernatural peace and joy, which are not based on positive or negative circumstances, belong to you as a believer. Look at what John 14:27 says: “Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]”
Jesus became the blood sacrifice that atoned for and completely removed your sin in order for you to live in peace.
In essence, Jesus was saying, “I am willing you My peace. I am going away, and the thing I desire to leave you is My peace.” His special peace is a wonderful possession. How valuable is peace? What is it worth?
Peace was worth the shedding of His blood. The prophet Isaiah said, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole” (Isa. 53:5).
Jesus became the blood sacrifice that atoned for and completely removed your sin in order for you to live in peace. God’s will for you is that you live in peace with Him, with yourself, and with others. He wants you to have peace in the midst of your current circumstances—whether they are good or bad. He wants you to have peace in the morning, at night, and all times in between. Peace is your inheritance!
Peace and enjoyment of life go hand in hand. You can enjoy life more with an abundance of peace. Peace is glorious—and it is your inherited right. Peace is yours through the “bloodline” of Jesus.
Are you experiencing supernatural peace and joy? What is going on inside of you? Is the atmosphere peaceful? Joyful?
If not, you need to reclaim your inheritance. You need to reclaim the peace and joy that are yours. To do so, you need to do the following:
Ask God to Reveal the Root of the Problem
Satan does not want you to know what is robbing you of peace and joy. He wants you to run around in circles, so to speak, always looking for something and never discovering anything. It is important to remember that we do not war with flesh and blood. Many times our problems are not what we think, but they have their roots in subtle, hidden strife.
In this way, Satan deceives people. They spend their lives attempting to deal with the wrong issues. For instance, has it ever occurred to you that confusion is strife in your mind? People who are confused argue with themselves. Their thoughts fly back and forth in conflict with each other. A double-minded person is not at peace.
Worry is also a form of strife. Many mothers think they are not good mothers if they don’t worry about their children. They are deceived. These women love the Lord, but they are not experiencing God’s blessing in their lives—they are not experiencing supernatural joy. Their minds are not peaceful; they are filled with worry, anxiety, and turmoil. Worry leads to emotional upset. In John 14:27, Jesus advises, “Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed.”
Yet, the Bible clearly teaches us that peace of mind is our heritage. It also teaches us how to obtain this peace of mind: “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7).
Ask God to show you what is robbing you of peace, and then seek to reclaim your peace in that area.
So ask God to show you what is robbing you of peace, and then seek to reclaim your peace in that area. Keep in mind that if you want to live in peace, you must be willing to pay the price.
Be Willing to Pay the Price for Peace
Peace is glorious, but it would be unfair to you if I did not tell you that suffering is often the road to glory. Romans 8:17 brings this out clearly: “And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.”
Jesus lives in glory at this very moment, but He had to suffer in order to get there. He had to die. He had to die to His own natural desires and live for His Father’s will. Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31). I believe he was saying, “There are a lot of things I would rather do, and things I would prefer not to do, but I say no and follow the spirit of God that is in me.”
God has told us, “I set before you life and death; choose life” (Deut. 30:19, author’s paraphrase). Making right choices can cause suffering when the flesh does not get its own way. The flesh ministers death, but the Spirit ministers life. If we follow our flesh, death is the result. If we follow the Spirit, the reward is life. Choosing peace instead of strife will certainly reward you with life and all the blessings that it brings. But, initially, you may have to say no to something your flesh wants.
For example, let’s say I get up one morning and I am at peace. It is a lovely, sunny day, and I have nice plans that will bring enjoyment to me all day long. If everything goes the way I intend, all will be well. However, things begin to happen that threaten my plans to enjoy the day.
I receive a phone call from the office, informing me that our new phone system is not working properly and that a lot of our calls are not getting through. This information provides me with an opportunity. Will I worry—and choose death? Or will I pray and cast my care upon Jesus—and choose life?
If I cast my care on Jesus, I will stay at peace. If I give in to worry, I will start trying to figure out why this trouble happened and what I can do to make sure it does not happen again. I will think negative thoughts about the company we purchased the phone system from, and before long I will want to call and tell them what I think of them and their phone system. I will be agitated, fretful, touchy, and angry.
Remember, when I got up in the morning, everything was wonderful. If I let it, one phone call has the power to change my whole day and attitude. Making the right choice may cause me to Making the right choice may cause me to suffer temporarily in some areas, but it will eventually produce peace and glory in many others.
Let peace have the deciding vote in the choices you make.
It’s important to note that we often get out of balance in the area of suffering. Some Christians believe we glorify God by our suffering. They say, “Let’s just love suffering and never resist any trouble.” Others believe that Christians should never suffer, never be uncomfortable, and always get everything just the way they want it. However, we cannot live in the ditch on either side of the road of suffering. We need to steer our course straight down the middle of the road. We need balance—not extremes.
Suffering, in itself, does not glorify God. But if we are suffering in order to do His will, and if we maintain a proper attitude, our suffering will bring Him glory. Right choices will bring glory into our lives.
I now live in glorious peace most of the time. But I went through much suffering in order to come to this place. I had to learn to be quiet when I would rather keep talking. I had to learn to humble myself and apologize when I did not think I was wrong. As I made those right choices, my flesh suffered.
I had to be quiet when Dave thought he was right, when I would rather have argued and tried to prove that I had the answer. I had to walk away from conversations where people were being criticized and judged so that I could stay out of the strife I could sense. My flesh suffered because it was nosy and wanted to know everything. But the peace I now enjoy was worth the price.
So don’t be afraid of “godly suffering.” The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians, saying something like this: “Even though my letter hurt you, I am not sorry that I wrote it because I know that later on it will produce good things in your life.” (See 2 Corinthians 7:8.)
If you choose strife, you will suffer and end in defeat. Why not choose peace, which may provoke suffering in the flesh but will also lead to victory? If you are suffering because of strife, it will only lead to more suffering and greater problems. Why not choose to suffer in a godly way, knowing it will lead to glory?
Will You Make Peace the Umpire of Your Life?
No one could write a book big enough to cover every circumstance that you will face. But the Holy Spirit has come to administer the heritage that Jesus died to give you. God wants you to live in peace; He wants to unleash His power and His blessings in your life. But the final choice is yours.
Will you make peace the umpire of your life?
An umpire makes the decision that settles the matter. Each team may believe the call should be in its own favor, but it is the umpire who makes the final decision. And once he does, that ends the matter.
Let peace have the deciding vote in the choices you make. If something does not bring you peace, cast it out. Don’t live for the moment only. Use wisdom to make choices now that will satisfy you later on. When you are having a difficult time hearing from God or being able to decide what you should do in a certain situation, follow after peace.
Colossians 3:15 tells us, “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].”
You have a unique call upon your life. You are an important part of the body of Christ. God has prearranged for you to have a powerful and productive life. Jesus paid for it. It is yours unless you allow the devil to steal it from you.
Make a decision today: “I am finished with upset and turmoil; peace is mine, and I am going to enjoy it now,” and begin to live in peace. Keep conflict out of your life; out of your thoughts, words, and attitudes; out of your relationships. Choose life! Choose peace!